Gyroscopes are sensors that can sense rotational speed of the measurement frame with respect to an inertial one. In recent years, they have become ubiquitous in mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.) while supporting applications such as gaming, augmented reality and optical image stabilization (OIS). A vibrating structure gyroscope, also known as a Coriolis vibratory gyroscope (CVG), is a class of gyroscope that uses solid state resonators of different shapes that function much like the halteres of an insect. The underlying physical principle is that a vibrating object tends to continue vibrating in the same plane as its support rotates. This type of device is also known as a Coriolis vibratory gyro because as the plane of oscillation is rotated, the response detected by the transducer results from the Coriolis term in its equations of motion (“Coriolis force”). Vibrating structure gyroscopes are simpler and cheaper than conventional rotating gyroscopes of similar accuracy. Miniature devices using this principle are a relatively inexpensive type of attitude indicator.
There is a need for a gyroscope that does not operate on a mechanical principle and thus does not suffer from the disadvantages of such mechanical based gyroscopes. The gyroscope should be radio frequency (RF) based, relatively simple, inexpensive to manufacture and can be incorporated in standard CMOS integrated circuits.